Domino IO – IoT enabler

I do not usually post more than a tweet when backing on a KickStarter project but as for this time there is a French guy included  in the project, it is a good opportunity to do it !

The Domino IO project is an interesting platform to connect one of your home stuff ! It contains a powerful CPU, the network connectivity and all what you need to quickly make your own design.

This platform is really looking like the SparkCore under steroïd having eaten a Carambola engine. The chip is provided for $10 on Kickstarter ; this is 2.5 time less than carambola and 2 times less than Sparkcore. Sound like the missing element between RaspberryPi and Arduino.

The platform offers a large access to GPIO for component addition and run an OpenWRT system allowing to program it with any languages and the use of complex libraries : no worry about Python, Node.js …

On top of that they have added a second shield you can connect to it. It integrates an Arduino platform with the compatible pinout. It means you can program a complex solution in your Domino Core, based on the powerful processor. Then easily make the link with the Domino.QI  : the Arduino shield. Then use all the existing stuff of the Arduino eco-system (chield, libs…) to link/control/monitor the external world.

This makes it a nice platform for makers not necessary expert of hardware design, configuration and so on and want to focus on what the system do.

The limit of a such system is the battery consumption, as the CPU is powerful and the connectivity is mostly based on wifi, you will quickly have to plug it ; that’s why it really fit well for not mobile applications, like home automation.

You can support them and back for the project here : https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/706167548/dominoio-an-open-hardware-wifi-platform-for-things

See also :

• SparkCore : www.spark.io
• Carambola : www.8devices.com